The Portland daily press., 1887-10-27

And when the flial plety Of Marius recalls
his fathers dying request, this binding menu
DRY appears In the curious masquerade Of an
"imperious souvenir" IL Is, however, a tss-
timnny TO the worth Of the present transla-
tiOn that these slight misunderstandings are
noticeable. 1t is genuine triumph to have
made, In good and unstTained English. the
translation Of Les Mserdbles (New York:
Thomas y Crowell & Coz
In Joaquin Miller's new volume, Songs Of
the Mexican Seas, the poet appears little
changed. His verse. II anything, Is i'm
proved II has caught some simpler accents.
among which may be traced the influence Of
the voice Of the late Rossetti. Mr. Miller
displays the same vitality, turgidity, sense
OF color and Of music, redundancy, gener-
osity, natural passion, tawdriness, genuine
pathOs and sudden flashes Of poetic insplra-
tiOn that have always, in various proportions,
gone to the making Of his verse. The Sea OF
Fire was a confagration that swept the for
est and the pampas plain and consumed Mr..
Miller's typical hero and usual brown bride.
The terror Of the situation expands these
great souls until their bodies seem-as Mr..
Miller remarks-to arise TO the stature Of
Colossus attempting TO rescue BarthOldPs
statue Of Liberty. From sunset to dawn the
fame burned-and in one Of the phrases Of
startling truth and Imagination that prove
Joaquin Miller's right to the name Of poet.
he says:
There was no night. The night that lay
Between that awful eve and day.
That nameess night was burned away.
The Rhyme Of the Great River, the second
OF. the two poems. which compose the volume.
Is the confession Of a man who betrayed love
for gold. Gold rings and rattles through the
verse, in the legitimate use Of Mr.. Miller's
favorite effect Of repetition. The descrip-
tion Of the City Of New Orleans Is pictur-
esque, and the meditations upon avarice are
impressive. Mr.. Miller still permits himself
such metaphors as ''the low-necked NOON"
he does not disdain the fatally plebeian use
Of the word some for SOmelshdt; he Is apt TO
ignore the landmark between the sublime
and the ridiculous-and yet he is poet. Of
large heart and Of natural voice; and-tho
final test Of us all-he moves forward rather
than backward on his way. Boston: Rob-
erts Brothers; Portland: Loring. Short &
Harmony
Mr.. Robert Grant Is clever writer some
what apt to follow in the wake OF other
peoples successes. Hence 1t Is not surpris-
ing when his Jack Hall. or the School Days
Of an American Boy is published not long
after EdmondO de Amicis' CuOre; an Italian
Schoolboy's Journal-which Is, by tho way.
the very best juvenile book that has been
written since Cadmus invented letters, and
Is not likely to be equalled before the Mlllen-
mum. 1t Is not probable that Mr.. Grant, In
his very lively and readable story, had any
unpatriotie design Of contrasting the types Of
| American and Italian boys to the disadvant-
| age of his young compatriots. And II would be
unfair indeed to believe that the hoodlumlsm
Of Jack Hall, as depicted in the earlier chap
ters, is a sample Of the manners and customs
Of American boys, the sons Of refined and
rightminded parents. The American boy, ID
is true, sometimes has to learn late, and By
self-discipiine, the respect for authority, the
modesty before his superiors that are made
part of the Italian boys early education, and
strengthened by the discipline Of a military
country. The latter chapters Of Mr.. Grants
story are much better in every way than the
irresponsible opening leads one to expect
1t is probable that Mr.. Grants lively and
graphic pen ran away with his little hero,
and carried him into temporary companion
, ship with that detestable hoodlum, Peck's
Bad Boy and 1t is pity, for the irresponsi-
ole and mean pTanks Of the little fellow may
lnger more tenaeiOusly in the minds OF
| young readers tnan the better influences af-
forded by the description Of the sch0Ol-life
of Jack and his friends. Boston: Jordan &
Marsh)
Mr. Howard Pyle, in his story Of the Rose
| OF Paradise, has scored success in diff
cult line Of fiction. His romance is founded
| upon brief report, officially made at Bonn
bay by Captain John Mackra, Of the East
India C0mpany's ship Cassandra, Of an en-
counter with pirates in the Mozambique
Channel 1t is quoted in the life Of the
pirate, Edward England, in volume pub
lished in London in 1912, and entitled A
Genuine Account Of the Voyages and Plum
ders Of the Most Notorious Pyrates."
Beside its crew and passengers-amOng
whom is the heroine Of the very slight love
story interviewer in the talk-Captain Mack
ra's ship carried a treasure, ruby large as
pigeons egg and named the Rose Of Para
disc. Without giving ltoo much Of tie story,
II may be su ggested that a ruby, brave cap
tain, gentle lady, pirates and the high seas
afford material for most exciting drama.
Mr.. Pyle let's the captain tell his own tale /;
and the art is excellent with which the old
fashioned style and the thrilling course Of
events are equally maintained. The Illus-
trations, also by Mr.. Pyle, are spirited and
well drawn. (New York: Harper q Broth
srs; Portland; Loring, Short & Harmony
In Stories Of the Magicians, Professor AL
fred ]. Church. the author Of the faultless
Stories from Homer, has retold for the bene-
At Of young readers, the tales Of Southey's
poems, Thalaba and the Curse Of Kehama.
To these he has added the Story Of Rustem,
from the Book Of the Kings Of the Persian
poet, Firdausi Professor Church has done
his work exquisitely; his prose, never con-
fusing its limits with the province Of verse,
repeats in briefer space the beauty Of the
poems which it represents. While these
stories will have for young people all the
charm Of fairy tales, they are also an admir-
able means of forming literary taste and the
best possible preparation to the enjoyment
Of the same legends in their original verse
1t is impossible to commend too highly the
the work Of Professor Church for the use
and pleasure Of young readers, The Mus
trations of this volume are copied from Per.
sian and Indian MSS. in the British Muse
um. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co.; Port
land: Loring, Short & Harmony
Mrs. ID. A. Lincoln, well known as an In
struetor in culinary affairs, has written ;
new volume entitled the Boston Schoo
Kitchen Textbook. 1t is commended b,
the Superintendent Of the Boston Publ
Schools as having been. in substance, taugh
to the pupils Of the cooking classes connecte,
with those schools. The design Of the boo
is to teach the principles Of cooking, so tina
the learner may understand In theory wha
she performs in practice. 1t includes man
receipts, and does not forget TO instil the vii
tues and graces Of perfect nicely and neal
ness. The volume will be appreciated b
housekeepers, and prove acceptable to tn
clubs OF young ladies who encourage eacl
other up the toilsome sleeps that lead to tn
triumphs Of the crrdon bleH, or crown on
competent to make 'grandnothers' ginger
bread" (}Oston Roberts Brothers; Port